


Lullaby

by pook



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-15 11:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15411750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pook/pseuds/pook
Summary: My homage to a great film, The Court Jester.





	Lullaby

**Author's Note:**

  * For [audabee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/audabee/gifts).



> A scene that screamed J/C so after a tweak here and there -bingo – a story.
> 
> This is for Audabee. A wonderful friend. This is your birthday pressie – you won’t tell anyone when your birthday is so I’m forced into drastic action.
> 
> I’m paying homage to one of my favourite films, the Court Jester [1956]. There is a scene 17-25 minutes in when Jean [Glynis Johns] and Hawkins [Danny Kaye] are in a hut with the royal baby. I recently saw the film again and was gob smacked. It’s raining and they try to go to sleep – it’s so J/C. I’ve included the lullaby so wonderfully sung by Danny Kaye because I like it and I’m a marshmallow.
> 
> After a tweak here and some huge leaps there – bingo – a sort of silly story is born. Almost all of the dialogue and the lullaby are from the movie [sort of].

In a cave on Hanon IV, Naomi began to fuss again. Gently rocking Naomi in his arms, Chakotay walked slowly around the small dimly lit cave trying to calm her to sleep. The small fire that Kathryn had just lit and was now stoking would provide the warmth and light they needed. The herbs the chief had given them for Naomi would make her sleep through the entire night, giving Sam her first chance to have a full night’s sleep.

Grateful for Chakotay’s rescue of the chief’s daughter from the lava flow, the natives had provided them with food, sleeping mats and furs for blankets for the crew. Kathryn was making a bed for Naomi out of the furs and mats.

Chakotay sat down, cross-legged, still rocking Naomi who was now sighing contentedly. Every now and then, he would look at Kathryn. She was a picture of concentration as she built the crib for Naomi.

He’d been worried how Kathryn would take being forced off the ship by Maj Cullah, but so far, he’d been impressed as she’d rallied the crew, reminding them of their survival skills, almost urging them to survive on her willpower alone at times. She’d even taken Hogan’s death as well as could be expected, becoming so determined that no one else would die here, and so far that had been achieved. He knew she was hiding her anger and frustration well behind her Captain’s mask but it hadn’t meant she was completely unaffected by it all. There had been times where she’d gone for walks late at night or in the early morning. Vulcan style, Tuvok had shared his concern over their captain with Chakotay and so one of them would keep an eye on her movements and follow her at a discreet distance to keep guard. He assumed it was then that she’d let her guard down.

Since their return from New Earth, there had been little time for anything other than duty. They were under increasing stress and pressure because of the hit and run tactics of the Kazon. After everything that had happened since their return, he wished they were back on that seemingly peaceful planet.

Naomi stirred again causing Chakotay to return to reality from his wishful thinking. “There, there,” Chakotay softly whispered before he recalled his favourite lullaby that his mother would sing to his baby sister and began to sing it softly,

“ _Loo loo loo …I’ll take you dreaming,_  
_through the rainy night_  
_to a place behind the raindrops_  
_where the stars are bright._  
_You might not find gold or silver_  
_but a richer prize_  
_waits for you behind the raindrops_  
_if you’ll close your eyes._ ”  
He gently stroked his finger on Naomi’s cheek.

Just as she finished the bed, Kathryn heard a soft voice and turned around to see Chakotay singing a lullaby to Naomi. His soft deep voice was very calming and begun to lull the baby to asleep. Sighing, she knew that one day he would make a wonderful father.

A baby’s cry had started the whole chain of events that led to where they were now but she couldn’t blame his son. He was innocent. Instead, she cursed that bitch, Seska, who’d started the whole thing by stealing Chakotay’s DNA to make his baby son. It saddened her that she just knew, and deep down, she thought he had as well, that he’d never see his son again. From their chats on New Earth, he’d said he wanted to be a father one day. Maybe this is why he jumped at the chance to volunteer them to baby-sit Naomi, she thought. It was a chance for him to feel like a father. With a touch of sadness and regret, Kathryn thought that if they’d stayed on New Earth then they probably would’ve had children.

Leaning against the wall of the cave, she watched him with her heart stirring as he continued the lullaby.

“ _Tonight, tonight_  
_when all the world’s asleep,_  
_we will tiptoe home with a wondrous star._  
_A star you can always keep._  
_And years from now, when you go dreaming_  
_when you’re very old,_  
_though your crown be rich with rubies,_  
_diamonds set in gold,_  
_none will shine as bright_  
_as the star we’ll find tonight_.”

Cuddling Naomi, he kissed her tenderly on the cheek and hand then walked over to the crib where Kathryn was waiting, kneeling by the crib. She helped arrange the furs as he put Naomi in. Chakotay and Kathryn smiled at each other and watched the baby as she sucked her thumb until her eyes closed.

Chakotay quietly finished the lullaby as Naomi finally drifted off to sleep,

“ _Tonight tonight,_  
_when all the world’s asleep._  
_We will find a star_  
_that you can always keep_.”

Thunder clapped and the flash of the lightning lit the entrance of their cave for a few seconds. They’d soon discovered the evening storms were as predictable as the mid afternoon heat on Hanon IV. The heavy downpour lasted only for an hour and provided them with fresh water but all traces of the storm would disappear very quickly as happened in many arid climates. Unfortunately, the cave system had cracks and fissures allowing the water to drip down on them in several places.

“Naomi’s asleep now.” Chakotay tucked the fur around her.

“We better get some sleep too.” Kathryn adjusted the covering over the crib to make sure no water dripped on Naomi.

Chakotay looked around noticing Kathryn had set up only one large sleeping area. “Hmmm…”

Nodding her head in the direction of the pile of straw and sleeping mats, she grinned, “Over there.”

Nervously, he looked around for another place. “Uh …there’s only room for one. I …I think you better take it.”

“We can both lie there. If you get wet and ill, you’ll be no use to Naomi, or me, at all.” Smiling at his nervousness, Kathryn glanced at the bedding. She knew that in this cave there was nowhere else to sleep. “Lie down.”

Chakotay nodded reluctantly. “Yes, Captain.” He sidled over to the straw and rolled onto his back. He could hear the water dripping down near them.

Kathryn crawled over next to him and lay down with her back facing him. She got as close to him as possible to conserve body heat and to get out of the water dripping near her. She was too tired to worry about anything else and closed her eyes hoping sleep would come quickly just as it had with Naomi.

Chakotay eyes darted back and forth. He wasn’t sure what to make of their sleeping arrangements. Intellectually, he knew that she was right to get as close to each other but in the more primitive parts of his brain, he wondered if there was anything else going on. As he’d sung the lullaby, he’d seen her look at him almost lovingly with a soft smile like she’d done so many times on New Earth.

After such a tiring day, he pushed any thought beyond getting some sleep out of his mind but first he just had to get comfortable. His left arm was jammed uncomfortably against her back. He tried to move into a more comfortable position without disturbing Kathryn too much.

Yawning, Chakotay gave up trying to get cosy. “Wet.”

“Very.” Kathryn watched as the water dripped close to her. She couldn’t move back because Chakotay’s left arm was digging into her back. Looking over her shoulder at him, she laughed to herself at their unease. It wasn’t the first time they’d been in this type of survival situation in their careers but it was the first time for them to be together, this close since New Earth. “There’d be more room if you raised your arm.”

Chakotay had the autopilot engaged and raised his right arm.

“The other one.” Kathryn chortled.

“Sorry.” Chakotay snaked his left arm under Kathryn’s shoulders, as she turned onto her back with her arms straight down her sides almost like a cadet standing at attention.

It was her turn to feel awkward and uneasy at how close they were. She thought back to how easy it had been for Naomi to settle and fall asleep and wished sleep would come that easily for her but the day’s events kept coming back into her mind, upsetting her. Maybe their anxiety was due to their disagreement earlier in the day. It was trivial in the scheme of things. She’d argued for a one way while Chakotay had put a different point of view across. Their voices had slowly become louder, resulting in Tuvok coming over to remind them who they were, where they were, and that the crew could hear.

Realizing she hadn’t apologized, Kathryn whispered softly, “Chakotay…”

Chakotay began to relax as her head rested on his arm. “Yes, Captain?” Smiling, he looked at her hair tenderly as she spoke in her softest voice. She almost sang his name, using that tone he’d heard only once or twice before. It filled him with joy as it had done before on New Earth.

Kathryn played with her pant’s material. “I’m sorry I – I spoke in the manner I did.” She swallowed her pride. “I was wrong.”

“Y – Yes, Captain.” Chakotay was a little surprised. She’d just apologized to him. This was a first. In his time in Starfleet and in the Maquis, it was extremely rare that a captain admitted an error.

“There’s something else I’d like to say.” Kathryn continued to pick nervously at imaginary fluff on her pants. It wasn’t like her to be on edge but she felt she needed him to know how she felt about him. She relied on him to be her anchor, to support her and just to be there as he’d done for the last two years. There was no doubt that she’d fallen in love with him but it was going to be difficult for her to reconcile being his captain and being in love with him.

“Yes?” Chakotay turned to face her.

“I do have feelings for you.”

“I …I ..I know that … but could the captain ever love a man who… was under her command?”

Kathryn replied softly, “I do but I don’t know how it will work. You don’t push me and you understand both Kathryn and the captain.”

Chakotay gazed lovingly at her. “Could the captain ever…” He paused trying to find the right words, “Could the captain ever entertain thoughts of …a relationship with such a man?”

They glanced at each other.

“Yes, Chakotay,” whispered Kathryn. “I think she could. And would.”

Chakotay’s heart filled with delight but he tried to keep it in check. He didn’t want to lose her.

“If things were different.”

“How dif—different?” He groaned to himself because he knew that her responsibility to the crew would come first and so he tried to keep his disappointment from showing.

“If Naomi and the rest of the crew were back on Voyager….and we were in the Alpha Quadrant.”

Caressing her jaw with his finger, he gently turned her toward him and looked deep into her eyes. “That could take a lifetime. Are you ready for that?”

“It’s the way I was brought up. My father’s influence. You see, my father made me everything that I am.”

“He did beautiful work.” His fingers feathered over her neck as he inched closer and tenderly kissed her cheek.

“He taught me how to…love freedom and …” She was in Heaven and found it hard to concentrate as he continued to stroke her jaw line all the while gently kissing her cheek. “…hate injustice … the use of … weapons…” Her breathing became more ragged as she closed her eyes and leant toward him, struggling to keep her words coherent under the spell of his wonderful soft touches. The primitive parts of her brain were beginning to win the battle over her higher rational brain functions. “And how to fight. In fact …I think he …he really wanted me to be a boy.”

Suddenly the battle was over as her desire won and she launched herself on him in a fierce kiss. Only a nanosecond behind her, Chakotay’s arms wrapped around her holding her tightly to him as their lips ground together.

Coming up for air, he looked into her blue eyes. “Too bad. You’d have made a wonderful girl.” Chakotay pulled her close again to kiss her hard.

All of a sudden, Kathryn pushed him away and sat up. Silently, she cursed the rational part of her brain as it recovered from the earlier defeat. “No. We daren’t think of ourselves until we’re back on the ship and home.”

“Yes, but that could take seventy years or more.” Undeterred, Chakotay sat up and moved behind her to lavish her ear while running his hand across her back.

Fortunately, for Chakotay, he found her higher brain’s Achilles heel. Her sudden low lusty moan meant he’d hit the spot. It was just behind her ear and he grabbed his chance, sucking, nibbling, and kissing the sensitive area. His groin ached and strained as his heart pounded with lust and desire.

All rational thought flew out of the cave entrance at warp speed as she groaned softly. Leaning back against Chakotay, Kathryn tilted her head to the side allowing him even greater access. Her body tingled and her inner muscles clenched as he continued to devour her neck and ear while stroking her shoulder. “Oh … Chakotay …”

Kathryn wanted to touch him, to feel his body on and in hers. She shifted position causing them to collapse back on to the mat in a tangle of arms and legs. Soon their muffled laughter and giggles of delight were replaced with cries and moans of pleasure as they made love to one another with joyous abandon.


End file.
